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PAGE 4
THE TOILER
PBIDAY, SEPT. 10, 1020
perty from the defendant to pay fine. So let
capital say. Somehow, ono cannot but feel that
the authorized lackeys of, the plunderbund hesitat
ed to carry out the court's decision only because
labor had sounded a loud warning. The men will
never he jailed, is the prevalent opinion. Maybe
they will and perhaps they won't. Only the work
ing class can determine that. Just now there is
talk of a strike to prevent the jailing of the
union officials.
Used a New Political Weapon.
Saturday's demonstration was significant.
The workers paraded not for wages and hours
hut for labor's right as a whole. They felt strong
ly that organized exploiters were aiming a death
blow at every right which the workers had strug
gled for so many years to obtain. They realized,
in a greater or less degree, that the instrument
of oppression of the capitalist class the State
was being directed, not against these four con
victed men, but against the workers as a class.
And the workers' reply was encouraging. The
Minneapolis workers last Saturady grasped an
other political weapon, besides that of the vote,
the political street demonstration. To prevent by
their protest, the jailing of their comrades and
fellow workers that was a forward step. The
hazards and necessities of life are teaching the
masses the proper tactics to pursue if they would
win a wider and broader life. Steadily a conscious
ness of class grows upon them, a perception of
what might be if they would but excercise all tlrj
power which is theirs -the power to learn, to
know, to organize, to educate, to run production
and themselves for themselves.
Machine Guns Ready for New York Strikes
By Martha H. Foley
Last spring the New York Police Depart- appeal' laughable at a time when labor all over
ment held its annual parade. With immaculate the world is beginning to lollow in the footsteps
uniforms, shining buttons and smiling faces thou- of the Russian workers and take over the cntho
sands of pciicemen strode down Fifth Avenue control of industry.
between the crowds that had gathered to greet A few hours after the strike was called, i:i
the guardians of law and order. Georgeous float ;, spite of the fact that no violence had occurred
gayly decorated uutomobilcs and aeroplanes fol- and no rioting, an official of the Police Depart-
iowed each other in quick succession. The most ment made this statement. "We have a ranged
interesting and significant part of the procession, to bring over 150 detectives from Manhattan,
however, was the machine gun section in which We will also bring over the bomb sqtu.d, the
hundreds of machine guns were trundled along. strong arm squad and the machine gun squad,
What does the police department oi a city We will patrol the city with police in automobiles
want with machine guns? Burglars are not cap- and motorcycles and we will give the Brooklyn
tured by means of machine guns, neither are Rapid Transit Company all the protection necei-
murderers. Surely clubs and revolvers are suf- ?ary."
ficient to quell obstreperous hoodlums and drunk- The same day an editorial in the New York
tirdS'. Machine guns are needed only to conquer Times said: "It is a pity that labor resorts to
masses of people and in a country where the law force for that makes nccessarv a reply in force."
is supposed to be the people's law these deadly The workers have never been the first to
miniature cannon seemed a strange contradiction, resort to force. For years they have been tho
But the puzzle has been solved. victims of the most ruthless violence on the part
On August 29, eight thousand men, members of the tosses. If riots occur, lives are lost and
of the Amalgamated Association of Electrical property is destroyed in the Brooklyn Rapid
and Street Railway Employees' Union, employed Transit strike, whose fault will it be that of
on the Brooklyn Rapid Transit street car. elevat- the weaponless pickets or of those who brought
td and subway systems, went on strike. They among them bomb squads and machine guns? It
demanded only union recognition, nine hour day is the bosses who are teaching their workers tlv:
and continuance of the wage increases that had use of force, and the militancy of the capitalists
been granted them a year ago. Such demands is creating a militant working class.